Pump anchor



July 29, 1952 l J, PGE 2,604,945

PUMP ANCHOR Filed March 12A, `1948 Patented July 29, 1952 PUMP ANCHOR John S. Page, Long Beach Calif., assignor to Page Oil Tools Inc., Long Beach, Calif., a corporation of California Application March 12, 1948, serial No. 14,605

2 Claims.

l This invention has to do with a pump anchor, that is with a device applicable to a well pump and engageable in a tubing, or the like, to secure or anchor the pump therein, and it is a general object of the invention to provide such a strucon the pump securing the pump in a tubing, certure which is simple, practical and inexpensive. 4

It is most common to operate well pumps within tubing and the ordinary pump cooperates with a pump seat or pump holder set or ixed in the tubing at a particular point, with the result that the location of the pump in the well cannot be varied except by pulling the tubing and relocating the seat or retainer.

It is a general object of the present .invention to provide a pump anchor that may be used on or in connection with conventional pumping equipment and which engagesa tubing in a manner to eiectively secure or anchor the pump while it is at the same time releasable so that it can be shifted to various positions in the tubing should it be desired to vary the location of the pump in the tubing.

Another general object of the present invention is to provide a structure of the general character referred to wherein the parts are so related -as to function effectively and dependably and without danger of .becoming stuck or fouled, even after the anchor has been engaged in a tubing over a long period of time. With the construction of the present invention the gripper that sets the anchor in the tubing is mounted on the body of the anchor so that it is freely rotatable and the gripping members or slips of the gripper are freely shiftable relative to the wedge of the gripper, all with the result' that fouling or binding of the mechanism is eliminated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an anchor of the general character referred to wherein there is a control for the gripper, which control operates eiectively and dependably in response to manipulation of the apparatus through or by means of the sucker rod provided for operating the pump.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pump anchor operating to secure a pump in a tubing without requiring that the tubing be equipped with a pump seat or pump holder, as is the case with ordinary equipment.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of a typical preferred form and application of the invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a well showing a pump located therein tain of the parts being shown in section and the anchor being shown set, holding the pump in position in the tubing. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the anchor provided by the present invention showing it independent of other'parts, that is, not within a tubing, and showing the packer in its normal or unactuated condition, and showing the gripper in an actuated position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed transverse sectional view taken as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed transverse sectional view taken as indicated by line 4-4 on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken as indicated by line 5 5 on Fig. 2. Fig. 6 isan enlarged, detailed transverse sectional View taken as indicated by line 6-6 on Fig. 2; Fig. 7 isa view similar to a portion of Fig. 1, showingthe anchor within the tubing and in a released position. Fig; 8 is an enlarged view of a part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 7, taken in the direction indicated by line 8 8 on Fig. 7, and showing the control in a partially actuated position, and Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, showing the lparts in the position in which they occur as the anchor is being lowered into or through the tubing.

The structure provided by the present invention is intended to be operated in a well equipped with a tubing A, or the like, and more specifically the anchor of the present invention is applicable to a well pump P to be joined with the pump so that it depends therefrom. In the drawings'the tubing A is shown in a well within a well casing B and the pump P is shown carried on or by a.

sucker rod C. When I use the term tubing I mean to include any tubular Well element with which the structure that I am about to describe will cooperate.

The pump P may, so far as this inventionV is concerned, be of any suitable form or construction. The particular pump illustrated,l is shown as including a foot valve l0 carried in a holder or seat Il at the lower end of a tubular body l2. The sucker rod C enters the pump from its upper end and in the course of normal operation of the pump the pump part or parts joined to the sucker rod are reciprocated by or with the rod while other portions of the pump are held stationary. In the case illustrated the valve holder Il is held stationary and in turn holds the other stationary parts of the pump, the anchor of the present invention being employed to hold the pump part Il as will be apparent from the drawings.

The anchor provided by the present invention is preferably located in the tubing A immediately below the pump P and may,.as shown in the drawings, be joined to the pump by a suitable coupling I3 so that it is immediately adjacent the pump. The anchor is such as to engage the interior of'V the tubing A and when set holds the pump in a fixed 'position in the tubing, but it is operable or releasable so that the pump with the anchor attached thereto may be moved to any desired position in the tubing.

The anchor embodying the present invention involves, generally, a flow tube l5 admitting fluid from the well or from the tubing to the pump, a packer I5 sealing with the tubing A and preferably between the flow tube l5 and the tubing, a body il which is an elongate part depending from the flow tubing l5, a gripper or gripping mechanism I8 carried by the body Il and operable to engage the tubing A, and a control i9 for the gripping mechanism.

The flow tube l5 is an elongate tubular part located centrally in the tubing A or so that it is concentric with the pump P and it may be joinedto the lower end of the pump P in any suitable manner. In the case illustrated the coupler I3 is shown threaded to the upper end of the flow tube l5 and thus directly connects the flow tube or anchor with the pump so that the flow tube is in direct communication with the pump through the element il of the pump.

The now tube l5, as shown in the drawings, is sectional or is formed with a head section at its lower end which serves as a closure for the lower end of the flow tube and which has lateral ports 2l that form inlet openings admitting iiuid from within the tubing to the ow tube l5 to flow upwardly therethrough and into the pump. In the case illustrated the head 20 is screw threaded onto the lower end of the tubular portion of the flow tube l5.

rThe packer lil is an annular'element or structure, preferably carried on the flow tube l5 to have sealing engagement with the inner wall 22 of the tubing A. The particular packer illustrated is a common or simple form of packer involving a sleeve 23 carrying an annular body 2li of rubber, or the like, which body has an upwardly and outwardly projecting lip portion shaped and proportioned to normally bear outwardly against the inner wall 22 of the tubing. The lip portion of the packer is faced upwardly so that the column of fluid that may occur in the tubing A above the packer tends to expand the packer and consequently hold it in sealing engagement with the tubing.

The packer I6 may in practice be mounted in any suitable manner so long as it is sealed with or tight on the flow tube and has the desired sealing engagement with the interior of the tubing A. In the case illustrated the sleeve 23 of the lpacker is confined or held between a downwardlyffacing shoulder' on the flow tube l5 and a retainer 2S engaged on the lower end portion of the flow tube and held by a clamp nut 2. The clamp nut 27 is threaded on the flow tube and secures the retainer 2S in place so the sleeve 23 is firmly clamped or held between the retainer and the shoulder 25.

The body il is an elongate centrally disposed' member and is preferably in the nature of a rod joined to the lower end of the flow tube or to the head on the flow tube and depending therefrom to carry the grip mechanism and the control !9. In the drawings the body is shown as a simple round rod with a reduced upper end portion 30 with its upper end 3l threaded and engaged in a socket 32 in the lower end of the head 2B of the fiow tube. n the particular case illustrated the lower end 3d of the body il that occurs below the control I] is threaded and may carry a stop 35 positively preventing displacement of parts from the body, or it may receive other parts or equipment desired to be connected to the lower end of the anchor.

The gripping mechanism I8 involves, generally,

-a wedge carried by the body il' and slips cooperating with the wedge. In the particular case illustrated the wedge of mechanism i8 has a collar portion 36 rotatably supported on the upper end portion 3G of the body I'l and it has a lower or depending wedge portion 3l that is downwardly convergent or tapered to present a conical wedge face 38. The collar portion 35 is confined against axial movement between the shoulder 4G where the end portion 30 of the body begins and the lower end 4| of the head 20. The wedge portion 3? of the wedge surrounds and is freely rotatable on the body H immediately below the upper end portion 30 thereof.

The slips i2 of the grip mechanism engage and cooperate with the wedge portion 3l of the wedge member. In the'case illustrated there are several like slips 42 circumferentiallyspaced on wedge portion 3l'. The slips have inner faces 43 that bear upon the wedge face 38 and the slips are free to move around and also longitudinally of the wedge portion 3l. The outer faces of the slips may bc provided with teeth lill or may be otherwise finished to have the desired gripping engagement with the interior of the tubing A when the mechanism is set.

With the construction above described the slips may be retracted or free of tubing A when down relative to the wedge portion 31, as shown in Fig. '7, and they are expanded and held out in gripping engagement with the casing A when they are in an up position relative to the wedge portion 3l. as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The control i9 is located on the body H below the mechanism just described and in its preferred form it involves, generally, a sleeve 59 operable on the body, spring arms 5l extending upwardly from the sleeve and carrying the slips 42, drag members 52 connected with the sleeve and engaging the interior of casing A to offer resistance to movement of the anchor in the tubing, and a coupling means 53 between the sleeve and the body governing or guiding movement of the sleeve relative to the body.

The sleeve 5! is an elongate tubular part fitted on the body I1 to be freely rotatable thereon and also movable longitudinally thereon.

The spring arms 5l are preferably anchored to or joined with the upper end portion of sleeve ES and project upwardly therefrom to carry the slips 32, it being preferred that there be one arm for each slip and that the slips be supported uniformly above the sleeve 5l) so that they operate uniformly on the wedge portion 3T and thus have uniform gripping action in or with the casing A. The arms 5i are of such length and are Sulliciently flexible as to allow the slips to be properly expanded under the influence of the wedge member while at the same time they effectively withdraw or retract the slips moving them to a collapsed pcsition such as is shown in Fig. '7 when the wedge portion 3l is disengaged from within the slips.

The drag members 52 are preferably leaf or bow springs with their ends bearing on"the'sleeve 50 and with their outer or bowed portions such as to normally bear in the tubing A.r` l .In'the case illustrated the upper end portions of the drag membersv 52 are fixed or anchored to the sleeve 5 asv by suitable fasteners 55, while the lower endportions 550i the members 52 slidably bear on; the sleeve being engagedrin guideways-Fs in the sleeve where they are Vconfined by a collar 58.A In the particular case illustrated the drag membersZ correspond in number and circumferential vlocation with the arms and they are integrally joined with the arms 5 I. When this construction is employed one single continuous length of suitable spring material or spring steel may be employed in forming the arms 5| and the members 52.

The coupling 53 provided between the body Il and the sleeve 5U involves a lug or projection 60 on the body operating in an opening or guideway in the sleeve 50. In accordance with my invention the guideway has a short vertical portion 6| extending lengthwise of the structure and has a long helical portion 62 joining one side of the vertical portion 6I at the upper end thereof and extending down and around in the sleeve from the point where it joins the portion E The projection 6D fits the guideway to be movable through the portions 6| and 62 thereof.

When the anchor is being lowered in the tubing A the drag members 52 make it necessary that the sleeve 50 be forced downwardly by the lowering of the sucker rod and the pump attached thereto. When the sucker rod and pump are lowered the body l1 of the anchor is lowered and the projection B engages in the lower end of the vertical guideway. portion 6| as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. When the projection 6|! is engaged in the lower end of guideway portion 6| the sleeve 59 is in a down position on the body Il holding the slips 4S down relative to the wedge portion 31.

When it is desired to set the slips the operator lifts upwardly on the sucker rod C lifting the pump P and the body to move projection 6U to the upper end of portion 6| of the guideway, following which the sucker rod is rotated to turn the projection 60 into the helical portion 62 of the guideway. As the projection 6D enters or moves into the portion 62 of the guideway from the portion 6| thereof relative movement occurs between the sleeve 5 and the body l in a direction lengthwise of the anchor causing the sleeve to move the slips 4B upwardly onto the wedge portion 31 .so that the slips are, in turn, moved outwardly into gripping engagement with the tubing A.

With the slips set or engaged in the tubing A the anchor is set and the pump is held in position in the tubing A to be operated by means of the sucker rod C in the conventional manner.

When it is desired to release the anchor either to Withdraw the entire structure from the tubing or to shift the position of the pump either up or down in the tubing, it is merely necessary for the operator to move the sucker rod up far enough to cause the projection 50 on the anchor body |7 to move up through the helical guideway portion 62 into the upper end of the vertical guideway portion 5|, in which position of the parts the slips #l2 are disengaged from the wedge portion 31 so that the slips are released from the tubing A. If the entire structure is to be moved up the projection 6@ will continue in the upper end part of the guideway portion 6| whereas if thestructurc is to be moved down the. sucker'rod in the guideway portion 62, it is unnecessary-for.

the operator to rotate the sucker rod'asy the cam action occurring between ,thefprojection Y(il) :and

the guideway portion 52 is such as `to rotate the sleeve on the .body against the resistance of the drag members-52.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have, by my present invention, provided a pump anchor which is secure and-dependable in holding a pump in position so that it may be operated in the conventional manner by means of a sucker rod, while at the same time the anchor is releasable whenever desired, so that the pump can be moved either up or down in the tubing A enabling it to be placed in a most advantageous position in the well. It is also most signicant to note that through my present invention the grip or gripping mechanism that sets the anchor in the tubing is not only simple and involves few parts, but these parts are free to accommodate themselves relative to each other and are freely rotatable relative to the body of the anchor, all with the result that the anchor works freely and the danger of the parts becoming stuck or fouled is minimized.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of .my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specic details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variationsor modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims:

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. A structure for anchoring a pump in a well tubing including, a flow tube applicable to the pump to depend therefrom and having lateral openings passing fluid from the tubing into the flow tube, a rod attached to the iiow tube and depending in the tubing forming an elongate body below the flow tube, a tubing grippingv mechanism on the body including a wedge col-- lar rotatable on the body and slips operating on the collar, and a control for said mechanism and on the body including, a sleeve slidable on the body and having a longitudinally disposed cam slot therein, drag springs on the sleeve engaging the tubing, spring arms projecting upwardly from the sleeve and carrying the slips, and a projection on the body operating in the slot in the sleeve, the arms being integral continuations of the drag springs.

2. An anchor for securing a pump in a well tubing including, a flow tube applicable to the pump and having a head capping its lower end, the head having lateral inlet ports in connection with the flow tube and a downwardly opening socket, an upwardly faced cup-shaped packer on the flow tube above the parts and supported by the head, an elongate central body engaged in the socket to depend from the head and within the tubing and having a reduced upper end portion, a wedge collar rotatable on the reduced portion of the body and confined thereon by the head, slips operable on the collar lengthwise thereof and also around the collar, a sleeve slidable on the body and below the collar and having a cam slot therein and also having circumferentially spaced longitudinally disposed rguideways therein, spring` arms projecting from the sleeve and carrying the slips, drag springs on the sleeve with outwardly bowed middle portions engaging the tubing, each drag spring having a lower end portion slidably engaged in a guideway in the 5 sleeve, and a projection on the body operating in the cam slot in the sleeve, the cam slot having a straight vertical portion and a curved portion joined to one side of the vertical portion at the upper end thereof and extending laterally 10 and downward therefrom.

' JOHN S. PAGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 15 ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Crumpton July 1, 1913 Baker May 25, 1915 Phipps Aug. 12, 1930 Humason Dec. 16, 1930 Crowell Sept. 1, 1936 Millmine Jan. 12, 1937 Cox Jan. 17, 1939 McKissick Apr. 11, 1939 Lamb Feb. 7, 1950 

